There are really only two places to get books about writing in Melbourne - one is Borders, the other is Amazon.com. A few other bookshops like Readings have a small stock but Borders usually has about 8 shelves of them.
However there are new ones coming out all the time. Writer's Digest Books publishes a lot of them, but I've noticed there are more now from small presses. Most books about writing are good, some are very good, and some are the ones you return to again and again. Even though Lee Wyndham's "Writing for Children and Teenagers" has been around for years (and has been through three editions), it is still a staple on my shelf. Her twelve points for plotting is a simple blueprint that is great as a starter or as a check when your story is not quite working.
Others on my shelf that I use often are "The Art and Craft of Poetry" by Michael Bujega, "Scene and Structure" by Jack Bickham, "Write From Life" by Meg Files, and "Solutions for Novelists" by Sol Stein.
One of my all-time favourites, though, is "Write Away" by Elizabeth George. Why? Because after reading this, in particular her chapter on plotting, I was able to come up with a method of my own to help me plot effectively at last.
What more could you ask?
3 comments:
Ooh, my favourite -- and I know it's on your shelves too -- is Getting into character: seven secrets a novelist can learn from actors by Brandilyn Collins. I love this book because it's such a different approach to characterisation. Every chapter is a beauty! Mmm, I think it's probably time I reread it.
Ooh, my favourite -- and I know it's on your shelves too -- is Getting into character: seven secrets a novelist can learn from actors by Brandilyn Collins. I love this book because it's such a different approach to characterisation. Every chapter is a beauty! Mmm, I think it's probably time I reread it.
Er, yes, I obviously love that book so much that I had to tell you about it twice. D'oh!
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